The present invention relates generally to an improved fly reel, and more specifically to a fly reel provided with an auxiliary drag or brake means arranged to be actuated by finger pressure applied by the fisherman to the drag assembly. The actuating means for the auxiliary drag is disposed at a point which is accessible to the fisherman without requiring the fisherman to move his hands from a normal reel gripping position. In other words, it is not necessary for the fisherman to re-arrange or re-position the rod and reel in order to actuate the auxiliary drag assembly.
Normally, fly fishing reels are equipped with a drag of the ratchet type. Such a conventional drag assembly is normally not useful for application of a braking force to the reel when a game fish is hooked and starts to run. In order to achieve such a braking force, the fisherman will normally apply finger pressure to the surface of the line remaining within the confines of the line receiving spool. In the event the fisherman has hooked a large fish which has commenced a run, such finger pressure to achieve braking may be ineffective.
In the past, a variety of auxiliary drag assemblies have been proposed which can be utilized to exert a braking force on the line spool, and thus assist in controlling the play of the fish. These auxiliary drag assemblies frequently require the fisherman to hold the rod and reel assembly in an unusual or unnatural fashion, or may require the preparation of a complex system which is heavy and relatively difficult to assemble and service. Additionally, certain fly fishing reels have been equipped with auxiliary drag assemblies which tend to grip the spool tightly, and thus exert unusual or heavy forces on the line, thereby risking breaking of the line. The auxiliary drag mechanism of the present invention permits a wide variety of forces to be applied to the line spool, with the braking force being directly proportional to the finger pressure exerted by the fisherman upon the auxiliary drag assembly, with minimum weight increase.